'Working man' gauges value of oil show

Bob CampbellStaff Writer

Published 7:00 pm, Monday, October 20, 2008

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ODESSA - Working men at "the working man's oil show" Tuesday said the biennial exposition is educational and entertaining for the roughnecks, roustabouts, welders, machinists and tool pushers who need as much as anyone to keep up with new developments.

A dozen red and white drilling rigs with American and Texas flags on top gave the Permian Basin International Oil Show inside and outside of Ector County Coliseum a carnival air as big red Cummins diesel engines rotated on platforms and bright race cars from NASCAR suggested the mercurial nature of an industry roaring one week and sputtering the next.

With a "Welcome to Caterpillar" sign in front, the Caterpillar Co. had so much to show that it had its own tent.

And on the far north side of the teeming grounds, the show's prized antique wooden cable tool drilling rig drew a crowd with its rudimentary but effective machinations.

Welders Bruce Weeks and Ruben Mesa had seen an intriguing new Lincoln welding machine and a heating device they expected to be using at BOP Machine in Odessa. "We came out to have fun and look at competitors' new ideas," said Weeks.

"I love it."

Mesa said BOP had a problem getting employees last year but now has a full staff of 120 thanks to the Odessa College welding program. "We have a hard time finding somebody who can already do it," Mesa said, explaining it isn't a good idea to recruit friends because making blow out preventers takes special skills.

"It's not like structural welding," he said.

A number of men were asked about the presidential race between Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and Arizona Sen. John McCain, but only a couple offered their views for the record. "Anybody can be president," one said as he walked away.

"I stay away from politics, money and religion," said O.J. Woolis of Halliburton Wireline and Perforated Services. "I'd vote for neither. We need a free agent who has never been in office - not a Democrat or Republican."

Woolis and fellow Halliburton worker Olu Ajayi, a Nigerian who has been in the U.S. for nine years, said the show is as informative for people in the industry as for outsiders.

"This is the first time I have been here and I find it quite exciting and educational," Ajayi said.

"It has changed a lot," said Woolis, a native Odessan and Iraq War veteran. "There are a lot more companies around and more people coming in. I like the Cummins engines and the way they have the oil rigs set up.

"They're showing everything to the public and not making it private. This way, everybody can learn what we're doing and they don't have any bad ideas about us."

Odessa tool pusher Luke Stroud had been inspecting new hydraulic pumps for pumpjacks. "We can see what's coming up and have an idea of what's going on before they throw it at us," he said.

"We do a little of everything - build well heads, lay flow lines and build tank batteries. I've been a hand for three years and a pusher for five. I started from the ground up and I enjoy it."

Stroud's employee, Shawn Morgan, said the show "is real interesting. It has things I never heard of."

Clint Tapp and Matthew Burchinal of Clarksville, Tenn., had been sent by Red River Compressors to study new technology. "There's a lot of new equipment I hadn't seen," Tapp said.

"I'm pretty impressed."

Martin Dominguez and Oscar Hernandez have encouraged friends to join them at Petroplex Acidizing to ease the company's labor shortage. "There is a lot of stuff here to take a look at," Dominguez said.

Loadcraft Industries of Brady had a banner advertising "Service out of this world all around the world" while a pipe recovery firm's slogan acknowledged the danger the industry's hardy men face each time they go to work - "Nobody gets hurt today."